Over 2,000 Christians from 70 countries will travel to Jerusalem between the 9th and 16th of October to take part in the 43rd annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration.
The event, which is said to be both the largest Christian gathering and largest solidarity mission to Israel this year, is sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).
The event will also highlight the anticipated return of Christian tourism to the Jewish state after two years of travel bans to the country as a result of the pandemic.
What was tourism in Israel like before COVID?
Before COVID-19 hit Israel, Christians made up 55% of all tourism in 2019, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. Of the Christians that visited, 28% of them were Evangelicals - which also made up 13% of all tourism. When the pandemic began the following year, tourism dropped from 4.5 million in 2019 to 831,500 – which is 81% less.
The ICEJ’s Feast will begin at the Sea of Galilee, then go on to the Capernaum National Park for two days and then will end in Jerusalem.
The Israeli tourism industry is expected to largely recover with the return of Christian visitors.